RANDY L. RASMUSSEN, The Oregonian Dayton's Maika Ostling (seen during a recent win over Horizon Christian of Tualatin) said he has about 30 tattoos. He said his left sleeve honors his mother's mother, who died last year. Ink on his back is dedicated to himself, his brother Victor and friends he considers his brothers, A.J. Hedgecock and Zak Hedgecock.

The high school destination for most Division I boys basketball prospects is simple: Big city, big classification, brightest lights.

The highest levels of high school basketball are where, in recent years, you could find Oregon's cream, such as Westview's Landen Lucas (Kansas), Jefferson's Terrence Jones (Kentucky) and Terrence Ross (Washington), Jesuit's Kyle Wiltjer (Kentucky) and Benson's Andrew Andrews (Washington).

The 6-foot-10 senior forward signed with Oregon State in November, after considering several scholarship offers. But instead of testing his skills against big-school competition such as the Metro League or Portland Interscholastic League, Ostling prefers life in small-town Dayton and the Pirates' membership in the Class 3A West Valley League.

Dayton, a rural Willamette Valley town with a population of about 2,500, is located about 30 miles from Portland. Its high school enrollment of about 320 students is smaller than many senior classes in the Portland metro area. Among the schools Ostling faces during the league season are Amity, Colton and Gervais.

Not exactly Jefferson or Jesuit.

"What they're doing is choosing some other factors over the one factor of a higher competition level for their overall development and maturity as a person," said Horizon Christian coach Dave Brown, who formerly coached Division I prospect Jordan Tebbutt in the same West Valley League. Tebbutt transferred to Virginia powerhouse Oak Hill Academy this season.

Dayton senior guard A.J. Hedgecock, a friend of Ostling's since they played AAU ball in seventh grade, said his teammate is rare.

"If I was him, I'd want to play at the highest level," Hedgecock said. "I'm not saying I would leave, but you always want to play at the highest level you can and see if you can play at that level all the time."

Ostling, whom Dayton coach Ron Hop describes as "a bit of a free spirit," admits that this season it occasionally hits him that playing for a 5A or 6A school has some appeal. But it doesn't outweigh what Dayton has to offer, in his mind.

"I like Dayton. They make me feel like family," Ostling said. "I like it that everyone here knows everyone."

Ostling, who lives with his father, stepmother and brother in Lafayette, four miles northeast of Dayton, has experienced the big-school life. It wasn't for him.

As a freshman, Ostling attended McMinnville, a Class 6A school where he shared time on the Grizzlies' varsity and junior varsity teams. But a couple of factors began pulling Ostling toward Dayton. He was envious of the fun some of his Dayton basketball friends were having. And at the big school -- McMinnville's enrollment is about 1,700, more than five times the size of Dayton -- Ostling felt lost.

Ostling said he was at odds with McMinnville's coaching staff, who "pushed me to the side, and I wasn't able to use my abilities as much as I could." This came as a surprise to McMinnville coach Willie Graham, who said he had no idea Ostling was unhappy.

"Great kid. Obviously had tons of potential. I don't have anything bad to say about the guy," said Graham, who coaches Ostling's brother, McMinnville sophomore Victor Ostling.

Hop said he had heard rumors that Ostling was planning to transfer to Dayton as a sophomore, but dismissed them because "you're always hearing about kids wanting to transfer."

But there was Ostling walking Dayton's halls in September 2009. Hop, who had watched Ostling play a few times in middle school and AAU, said he immediately had a meeting with the family "to make sure we were all on the same page. I was making no promises to anyone.

"To be honest, I don't think it was a basketball move. More or less, it was probably a good move for him socially."

Ostling needed Dayton as much as Dayton basketball needed him.

"He could play anywhere in the state," Hedgecock said. "But I think when he got a glimpse of our team and our school, he wanted to be a part of that."

Dayton isn't a run-of-the-mill Class 3A basketball program. The Pirates have played for the state championship the past two years, losing each time to rival Horizon Christian, led by Tebbutt. This season, Dayton is ranked No. 1 in the coaches' 3A poll.

Hop assembled a demanding schedule for a team that includes three potential college athletes in Ostling, Hayden Craig (will sign a football letter of intent at Montana in February) and Hedgecock (receiving interest from some Division II schools for football and basketball). The Pirates played in the Les Schwab Invitational, and have wins this season over Jefferson and Southridge.

Getting the laid-back Ostling to develop his Division I skills wasn't easy. Hop said at times as a junior, Ostling was "mentally lazy."

"He's grown out of that, to some extent. When he's not in foul trouble, he's averaging about 15 shots a game. Last year, there were times when he would put up two or three shots, and I'm thinking, 'Are you kidding me?'" Hop said.

Ostling, whose mother Melia Tuineau lives in Tonga, makes the transition from small-school Dayton to the big campus of Oregon State in the fall. Ostling spent time at OSU during the summer and thinks he'll "react good and be on top of things" in college.

High school coaches and recruiting services describe Ostling as a player with a big body and good shooting range.

"He's really put together for a high school kid," Beavers coach Craig Robinson said in November when Ostling signed his letter of intent. "He'll hit the weight room and chisel his body up. But, most of all, he's a very hard worker and a quick learner."

Hop hopes Ostling is prepared.

"There aren't many 6-10 kids in the state of Oregon with that kind of ability. But if you don't put it on the floor with effort, it doesn't correlate to a Division I basketball player," Hop said. "They're not going to put up with excuses in college."